This Melt-In-Your-Mouth Braised Beef Brisket in a garlic and onion gravy is a famous recipe among family and friends — loved for its tender, juicy, and flavorful meat that turns out perfectly every time!
You only need 5 ingredients for this simple yet incredibly delicious slow roasted brisket, which is the perfect entree for Passover, a Sunday supper, or any other special occasion!
Alrighty, friends. Here it is: the ONLY brisket recipe that you will EVER need! That’s a pretty strong statement, right?!
But before we get to the details of this particular dish, let’s get some facts straight upfront.
First of all, I am absolutely, 100% NOT a brisket expert. In fact, I’m definitely a brisket novice!
Other than the smoked brisket that Keith makes on occasion, or the brisket sandwiches that we sometimes pick up at the local barbecue joint, I’ve basically never even consumed much brisket…let alone cooked it.
I’m also not Jewish, so there’s that. Just being honest, here!
But with all of that said, please don’t ignore this recipe! It is a family-favorite dish that comes from my childhood best friend Caryn’s mom, Fredda.
Fredda is FAMOUS for this brisket. She makes it for just about every Jewish holiday, and everyone in the community that has tasted her brisket has insisted that I share it on the blog. It’s that good.
What You Need to Make Braised Beef Brisket
- Brisket
- Garlic
- Sweet onions
- Olive Oil
- Ketchup
Important Steps for Making Braised Beef Brisket
So here’ the deal: Fredda’s brisket is definitely not difficult (it’s only 5 ingredients!), but it IS a process!
She dictated very specific instructions when I requested the recipe, with two important reminders.
First, you need to allow plenty of time to prep the meat. You don’t want to wait until the day of your holiday or special dinner to start making this beef. It needs time to sit and soak up the gravy!
Fredda makes it at least 3 days in advance, if not more. She keeps it in the freezer, so it’s the ultimate prep-ahead dinner (which you know I LOVE!!!).
Second, Fredda slices her meat against the grain so that you have strips instead of pulled beef barbecue. As you can see from my photos, I haven’t quite mastered the art of slicing Jewish brisket!
The End Results
This brisket is so tender and juicy after it cooks for 6 hours, that my meat was literally falling apart (no knife required) as I moved it from one dish to the other in order to take the photos.
Fredda notes that it helps to slice the meat while it’s cold (which I did), but either way…you can’t lose!
My meat may look more like pulled beef barbecue, but it was still some of the most flavorful, delicious beef that we’ve ever had!
Serving Suggestions
Fredda serves her brisket with traditional Jewish sides (like latkes and a noodle kugel), but around here we enjoyed it on hoagie rolls as sandwiches!
And believe me…whether it’s served for Passover or just for a regular weeknight dinner on a bun, this is going to become famous in your neck of the woods, too. Thanks to Fredda for sharing her secrets with us!
More Delicious Beef Recipes You Might Like:
- Balsamic Slow Cooked Beef Roast
- Dump and Bake Corned Beef and Cabbage
- Southern Bourbon Glazed Beef Tenderloin
- 4 Ingredients Ground Beef Casserole
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Melt-In-Your-Mouth Braised Beef Brisket
Ingredients
- 2.5 – 3 lb. brisket
- 6-8 cloves of garlic peeled
- 2 large sweet onions sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/3 cup ketchup or more, if desired
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion in oil and cook, stirring regularly, for about 10-15 minutes (or until soft, but not brown).
- Use a slotted spoon to remove onions from skillet and place them in a large rectangular baking dish (or a Dutch oven). Set aside.
- Cut about 6-8 slits in the top of your brisket and place a garlic clove in each slit. Tuck it down in there so that it doesn’t fall out!
- Heat the skillet over high heat and sear the brisket on each side. This should only take a few minutes per side, because you just want to get a nice dark color on each side of the meat – you are not trying to cook it all of the way through!
- Once both sides of the brisket are browned, place the brisket on top of the onions in the baking dish. Season the top of the brisket with salt and pepper, to taste. Spread ketchup over top.
- Cover brisket with foil (or place lid on Dutch oven).
- Bake, covered, at 225 degrees F for 6 hours.
- When the brisket comes out of the oven, do NOT cut it right away. Allow the meat to cool and rest.
- When it’s cool, put the whole dish in the refrigerator and allow the meat to sit in the onion gravy overnight.
- The next day, you will notice that the fat has solidified on top. Remove this white fat as much as possible.
- Slice the brisket against the grain while it’s cold. You may need an electric knife.
- Place the sliced meat back in the onion gravy. Put it back in the refrigerator overnight (or you can even freeze it at this point), and allow the meat to soak up the gravy again.
- When you’re ready to serve the brisket, cover it with foil and reheat it in a 350-degree oven until warmed through.
Nutrition
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I’m a brisket novice too, but I have a feeling this would become my favorite! I love how tender and full of flavor this is! Sounds like the ultimate comfort food. And I can see myself eating this ALL! Pinned!
Oh my goodness this must be delicious. I just had dinner and I could have some of this! My kids will drool over it. Thanks for sharing.
Wishes for tasty dishes,
Linda
Thanks so much, Linda!!
I loved the flavor of this brisket but I got very little juice. Evidently not fatty enough. Can I add beef stick? Or would it ruin the flavor?
Sorry, that should read beef stock, not sure what beef sticks are lol
Hah! I read the initial comment and was wondering, “What’s a beef stick?!” LOL.
Yes, I think that you can feel free to add some beef stock to get it to the right consistency. 🙂
Can I make this is a crock pot if so how long do I cook it?
Hi, Lee! I haven’t tried this recipe in the slow cooker, but I imagine it would work well. Here’s a link to my slow cooker brisket recipe: https://www.theseasonedmom.com/slow-cooker-barbecue-brisket/
For that recipe, I cook the brisket on LOW for 8-10 hours. Hope that helps, and enjoy!